Chin strap for full face masks

[Auntducky59]

well, my chin straps arrived. the Halo chin strap looks the same as the one that "broke". Hopefully this one won't break. The Ruby chinstrap from CareFusion looks very sturdy, but intimidating. I am going to have to find a video demonstration on how to assemble & wear it. It came with no picture or directions.

[Auntducky59]

The ruby chinstrap was shipped by Carefusion, but the brand is Puresom.

[Auntducky59]

I ordered the PureSom Ruby adjustable chinstrap from CareFusion. I got the small-large size. It was terrific! Best chin strap for me ever, even beats the halo style. If anyone wants to try it, make sure you get the adjustable one. They make non adjustable. Now I have to ask my DME if they carry that brand/style. I hope so, but if not, I can continue to buy my own. I still have my nasal cushions for my current frame (dreamwear). I am going to try the ruby chin strap with my pillow nasal cushion tonight. If I wear my chinstrap OVER the headgear, maybe the headgear & cushion will stay in place. worth trying anyway.

[Auntducky59]

so I wore my nasal pillow mask last night with the Ruby chinstrap OVER the headgear.. it worked well. Now I have a decision to make before my my supply renewal in October. Do I ask my DME for Full face with chin strap or nasal pillow? I guess I can always buy extra supplies out of my own pocket to have both available and switch off occasionally.

[Viraj3474]

Auntducky:

Have read your last four posts regarding the PureSom Ruby adjust. chinstrap and your experiences with using the Ruby strap for both the full mask and nasal pillows. It's a matter of which of the two masks you are the most comfortable with by the time another 30 days pass. Of course, if you own two masks, you can always switch off as you said. You get very good experiences either way. Glad to hear the Ruby worked out well.

Reading your experiences has been a great aid in helping me make some decisions. I need a chinstrap and the Ruby adjustable sounds like a good choice. That's what I've read outside of this forum and now from your feedback. My DME tech isn't very helpful. He keeps telling me" not to change from a full mask and that's what I need to keep using" and "chin straps don't work" . . . . ya da de, ya da dee, ya da dee and on and on he goes.

The full mask is giving me a red mark that might be contact dermatitis on the side of my nose near the bridge. Last night the mask was hurting in that spot. I have a mask liner on its way from Karen at Padacheek which should help the sore heal and helpful with leaks, I hope! Next thing will be to check out YouTube and see if there's a video about the Ruby adjustable chinstrap.

It surprised me when you said the Ruby adjustable looked intimidating. It appears to be all one piece.

[Auntducky59]

I notice you use the F20. I had the F20 and had the same problems you are experiencing. The liner will help if you want to stay with the F20, but I recommend trying the F30. It sealed perfectly for me, I did not need liners or chin straps. If you are comfortable with the hose on your nose, then the F30 may be a better fit & experience for you. I know it was for me. I only ditched it because I wanted to go back to dreamwear FF because of the hose position. Other options for Full face that only covers mouth & under nose is Phillips Dreamwear FF & Phillips Amaraview. I have never tried amaraview but know a lot of people love it. I would tell your DME you want to try something different. If necessary, you can change your DME. My insurance allows me to switch if I am not happy with my current DME. Good luck!

[Auntducky59]

the ruby chin strap is not one piece. But I figured it out by looking at pictures of it from various CPAP supply websites like CPAP.com. I could not find videos. The wide strap goes around the back of your head/ neck. the smaller, thinner strap goes on the top of your head. Your DME should not tell you chin straps don't work and that a nasal mask is not for you. This is something you will be doing for the rest of your life, and you should get what is the most comfortable for you. You may have to do a lot of experimenting & changing masks until you find what is best. many people have successfully switched from full face to nasal or nasal pillows by finding solutions such as the perfect chin strap, mouth taping, surgical collars, or simply training themselves to breathe through their noses instead of mouth. If you have never tried a nasal or nasal pillow mask, I would certainly give it a try. You already have a chin strap on the way in case it is needed. What if you find out that you are successful with a nasal mask with or without chin strap? Much more comfortable.

[Viraj3474]

the ruby chin strap is not one piece. But I figured it out by looking at pictures of it from various CPAP supply websites like CPAP.com. I could not find videos. The wide strap goes around the back of your head/ neck. the smaller, thinner strap goes on the top of your head. Your DME should not tell you chin straps don't work and that a nasal mask is not for you. This is something you will be doing for the rest of your life, and you should get what is the most comfortable for you. You may have to do a lot of experimenting & changing masks until you find what is best. many people have successfully switched from full face to nasal or nasal pillows by finding solutions such as the perfect chin strap, mouth taping, surgical collars, or simply training themselves to breathe through their noses instead of mouth. If you have never tried a nasal or nasal pillow mask, I would certainly give it a try. You already have a chin strap on the way in case it is needed. What if you find out that you are successful with a nasal mask with or without chin strap? Much more comfortable.

I have a chinstrap and a Padacheek liner on the way and will use them together with my full mask and see if my two problems get solved. I was awakened again last night and mostly every night when the pressure starts to crank up. That’s when the mask gets real noisy. The liner should help that and then the chinstrap for keeping my mouth shut.

I would like to try a nasal pillow if the chinstrap works!! I am not really happy with using a full face mask. I will be seeing my doctor next month for the three month visit and will tell him I would like to try a nasal pillow, especially if the chinstrap works. By the way, I was talking to a lady who use to be a sleep tech. She said people should receive a three month sleep doctor appointment, then a one year visit, then a new sleep study. The one year and the new sleep study could be reversed in order. I don’t recall exactly which came second and third. That was good news, but will have to see. I will post back after I try out the two new options. Keeping my fingers crossed and praying.

[Auntducky59]

I stand corrected: The ruby chinstrap IS one piece. I was confusing it with my halo chin strap.

[Auntducky59]

I did have a 3 month follow up, then nothing. I should have had my annual follow up in April of this year. Haven't heard anything, and I am not pushing it. My sleep clinic & Primary care is on a Military installation & Tricare may have different rules. Perhaps they don't follow up as often. Maybe they are spying on me via My Air.

[Auntducky59]

by the way, since you are already using Dreamwear FF, you can just order the nasal cushion or nasal pillows with headgear & use the same frame you currently have. You may have to pay out of pocket, but it's not too expensive.

[Viraj3474]

“Maybe they are spying on me via My Air.”

That could be what’s happening! Let all of us hope it’s not taking pictures.

[Viraj3474]

Yesterday afternoon I received the Padacheek liner for my Airfit 20 and placed it on the mask. The directions were good because of the pictures and good instructions. I slept great last night and even had dreams. Yet this morning the ResMed screen registered a bad mask fit. I am going to call Karen at Padacheek if I have time this morning and see what she has to say about this. I would appreciate anyone’s comments about your comments about this bad fit when I slept well! I think I will also create a new post with this. Thanks!

[Viraj3474]

I had a better sleep last night with a good seal throughout and feel rested. I did notice a lot of redness across the bridge of my nose when arising, so I have to widen and/or deepen the nose hole. It never has felt tight when I put on the mask with PadACheek liner, so didn't realize it needed adjusting. I'm a little leery about trimming it and will have to be careful. Any tips from anyone out there?

I kept intact the part of the liner that covers my mouth. I think it was Karen at PadACheek who said some people said the mouth covering helps remind some people to keep their mouth shut. It did for me, so will leave that in place. Dryness has been cut back maybe 80%, but I still am awaiting the chin strap, hoping it will add more to keep the mouth shut.

I'm not sure if making small snips into the top area of the liner is the right method to trim it. That would open up the bridge area of the liner. I think I need an area from say 11:00 o'clock to 2:00 opened up. Just a number of small snips. . . maybe four in total across that area. I think actually cutting away material is risky. Any tips on trimming the PadACheek would be most welcome from anyone out there before I pick up my scissors.

[djams]

I'm not sure if making small snips into the top area of the liner is the right method to trim it. That would open up the bridge area of the liner. I think I need an area from say 11:00 o'clock to 2:00 opened up. Just a number of small snips. . . maybe four in total across that area. I think actually cutting away material is risky. Any tips on trimming the PadACheek would be most welcome from anyone out there before I pick up my scissors.

I know what you're talking about here. I modified mine. This was over a year ago. As I recall, I just pressed mask with liner against my face then pulled it away. I marked the area that I wanted to cut with a sharpie. Made first cut well away from the lines. From there I kept sneaking up on it. Ended up going past my lines, and on last cut I remember thinking "well I believe I've ruined it". But that cut ended up being good.

So be patient, take your time, sneak up on it, test after each cut. That's all I've got.